


Back To You

by prosaicwonder



Category: Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Beyblade
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Canon Compliant, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Present Tense, Requited Unrequited Love, Spoilers, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 12:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11532669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosaicwonder/pseuds/prosaicwonder
Summary: "Maybe you keep coming back because a part of you doesn't really want to leave."





	Back To You

**Author's Note:**

> It's been so long since I've done anything for this fandom so I apologise in advance if there are discrepancies anywhere;;

He is thirteen when he obtains his first World Champion title, and also when he cries over someone who isn't his family for the first time.

 

He still remembers the icy landscapes of Moscow, and the way he and his teammates had been filled with panic when they saw the familiar figure on the opposite side.

 

He can still feel the numbness in his limbs as he reached out his own gloved hand, and still remembers how he didn't care about whether they were enemies or friends or neither. All that mattered was making sure that Kai was safe, and so he had yelled out Kai's name until his voice became hoarse, desperately grabbing at the warmth of his fingers before they were engulfed by the icy waters below.

 

He still doesn't forget the way his tears fell back then, as well as the feeling of something constricting painfully in his chest. But at least Kai had been okay.

 

* * *

 

Things change after the third year. They're both sixteen, and - of course - it's the same year where history repeats itself.

 

He's crowned the World Champion once again, and consequently finds himself entangled in a web of conflicting emotions. He's forced to grow up quickly and act tough so that others will look up to him; gone are the days where Takao can afford to clown around and battle spontaneously without so much as a strategy.

 

He's filled with an uncontrollable rage and feelings of betrayal when his teammates leave him, all because he's the best and they all want a piece of him.

 

Even Kai walks away, and that hurts him the most. Despite this, Takao still chases after him. He doesn't know why, but he does it anyway.

 

He even tries to stop the match against Brooklyn, because a part of him doesn't want to see Kai hurt. It doesn't work.

 

He sees red, and the constricting feeling grows stronger, until it threatens to spill over into his lungs, pulling him down as he lets out a silent scream.

 

Later, Takao wakes up in a cold sweat in the darkness of his own room, his arm outstretched towards the ceiling as the lone syllable escapes his lips.

 

_Kai._

 

* * *

 

A few more years pass and nothing else happens.

 

Takao stays and looks after the dojo even after he finishes high school; he still keeps in touch with Kyouju and Hiromi, who come to visit him and his grandpa every once in a while, and he exchanges occasional emails and phone calls from Rei and Max, who have both left for China and the United States respectively.

 

He misses the grueling practices and the adrenaline of beybattling, the sound of metal on metal and the roar of the audience in his eardrums. Even though he's achieved his lifelong goal - surpassed it, actually - he wishes he could go back to being an eighth-grader again: back to when he didn't have to think about where he stands with others and complicated things like feelings, which he couldn't even identify.

 

He doesn't hear from Kai anymore.

 

* * *

 

A few days after his twenty-third birthday, Takao is sweeping the ground outside the dojo building, when he feels a pair of eyes staring into his back.

 

Takao ignores it at first - he probably needs to catch up on sleep, he thinks - and continues cleaning up for a few minutes - until he cannot take it anymore and whips around to face the entrance of the dojo.

 

In an instant, he lets go of the broom handle, and it falls down to the ground with a clatter.

 

His brown eyes stare into bright violet ones, and he watches the familiar white fabric as it tangles up in the wind.

 

He nearly breaks down when he takes in the sight of the figure in front of him, and - even after he is left alone that night with hot tears streaked down his cheeks and a growing tightness in his chest - he doesn't know why he reacts this way.

 

* * *

 

They meet up the next weekend, and both of them find themselves seated on the grass at the nearby park.

 

"I was really surprised when you came over last time, Kai." Takao says with a laugh. He hopes the other will never find out what actually happened that night.

 

"It's been a while," Kai replies simply, and their conversation lulls into a silence. They both watch the group of kids in the distance, laughing and yelling out as they urged their Beyblades to attack. It brings back bittersweet memories, somehow.

 

"So... everything good?" Takao asks. He's long past the phase where everything Kai does irritates him; somehow, their relationship had evolved into something akin to friendship over the years. It isn't perfect, and they probably still consider each other to be rivals, but there's a lot less hostility and anger involved now than there used to be. Perhaps, Takao thinks, it's because they've both grown up - until a voice in his head whispers that it's probably because they've been apart for so long.

 

Kai raises an eyebrow at Takao's pensive expression, but he answers anyway: "Everything's been fine. You?"

 

Takao then looks back at the other male before he grins and gives Kai a thumbs up. "All good on my side, too."

 

He feels a pang of something in his chest when Kai smiles: it's not bright and wide like Takao's but it's something he doesn't often see - something Takao hasn't seen since they were both teenagers - and it actually _suits_ him.

  
  
"I wish the others could be here as well." The grin on Takao's face dissipates into a sad smile. He still feels lonely, even if he still sees Kyouju and Hiromi and keeps in contact with his former teammates.

 

Kai says nothing as he watches the other; he knows Takao is putting up a front, probably to reassure him that "Everything's all good." (according to Takao, anyway). He's been around the Dragoon owner enough to know that much.

 

"Do you still talk to them?" Takao asks suddenly.

 

Kai doesn't want to say that he's been in contact with Rei and Max as well, that they've both known about his secret and kept it that way since they were all still part of the G-revolutions - and that they were the ones who managed to convince him to return to Japan once more.

 

So he just lies down onto the grass and closes his eyes as his arms fold behind his head, letting out a nonchalant "Hn" in response.

 

" _Kaiiii_ ," Takao then whines, which makes the corners of Kai's mouth twitch in response. He's back to being annoying, whiny, teenage Takao again, yet Kai doesn't mind it.

 

Kai opens an eye to peek at the other blader before speaking again: "What?"

 

"We came all the way here, and now you're ignoring me?" Takao pouted. "When do you even go back, anyway?"

 

"I still have a few more days," Kai replies nonchalantly before opening his other eye and looking up at the sky.

 

"Can... can we meet up again? Before you go, that is." Takao says, and he tells himself that he is definitely not nervous when he does that.

 

"Hn."

 

It should've annoyed Takao, but listening to Kai's one-word answers was reassuring; after all, he'd figured out what they'd meant along the way.

 

There's only one more thing he hasn't realised yet: something that only his subconscious self acknowledges.

 

* * *

 

Two days before Kai's departure, Takao figures it out.

 

* * *

 

"Kai--!!!"

 

It's dark on the streets, and Takao nearly trips as he's rushing to get to the address he's memorised in his head. He has no idea if he's even going the right way, since it's in some district he's never set foot in despite being in the country for so long. He doesn't care, though: all he thinks about is getting to Kai's apartment before the other disappears for good.

 

He stumbles up the stairs in the dark, and frantically knocks against the door in front of him. It opens.

 

Kai's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he composes himself, turning away from the other blader. "Go home."

 

Takao's hands ball into fists as he takes a step forward, ignoring the way he's shaking with quiet fury. "So that's it then. Everything we did was just a joke to you."

 

"You're overthinking this, Kinomiya-"

 

"Don't tell me things about myself as if you know me!"

 

They glare at each other through the door, and eventually Kai huffs in annoyance before turning around to walk away. "Keep it down. You're going to wake up the neighbours."

 

"Kai," Takao grits out, ignoring the other's words. "We haven't seen each other in seven years. I wanted to at least say goodbye, since no one knows when I'll see you again."

 

"It doesn't matter," Kai says in response, moving to close the door. He stops when a gloved hand reaches over and grabs his own ungloved one on top of the handle, and he inhales sharply at the contact as his face heats up. Luckily the lights were not on.

 

He tries to pull his hand away, but Takao's grip is stronger than he'd ever known, ever felt... and then he gives up, his grip on the door handle loosening until it slides off. Takao's fingers are still clasped against his own, and he feels a spark of something dangerous forming at the contact.

 

"If you're not going to leave, then come inside." he says roughly, and Takao obliges, closing the door behind him as he follows the other male. Kai then turns the light on and they both move to sit on each side of the couch, their hands no longer linked together.

 

"Why are you doing this?"

 

Kai watches the other blader take off his cap - for some reason he still refuses to throw away the red-and-blue garment - without turning his head around to face him. "Doing what?"

 

Takao places the hat onto his own lap as he shoots Kai an accusatory glare. "Pushing me away again."

 

Kai opens his mouth to speak before he gets cut off by the other.

 

"I thought we both moved on from this," Takao says as he brings a hand up to roughly thread his fingers through his hair. "I thought we were... _friends_." Somehow, that word leaves a bitter taste on his mouth.

 

Kai looks at the other blader through his grey bangs, one arm slouched over the armrest and one leg propped up so it's bent at the knee, and then he lets out a sigh.

 

"Maybe I don't want to be friends."

 

Takao freezes at the words and his hand drops back down to his lap. "Kai?"

 

"I-..." Kai cuts himself off, moving to stand up as he lets out a sigh. His gaze shifts so that he's looking around, at anything that is not Takao.

 

"I liked you back then. Still do."

 

Takao, still seated, stares at him with an open mouth; he forgets to blink for a few seconds. His subconscious side finds it funny that Kai would be the first to figure out his own feelings. Hilarious, really.

 

"You... you li-"

 

" _Takao_ ," Kai suddenly speaks, finally turning around to face him. There's a firmness to his tone, though it's more from exasperation than anger. The utterance of his first name makes the owner of Dragoon look up in shock.

 

"Kai..." Takao finally speaks, after a long period of silence. His mouth hangs open as he takes in the other's appearance; Kai looks tired, and there is something akin to sadness in his eyes. "Did you just...?"

 

"I've said this before, Kinomiya." the owner of Dranzer interrupts before Takao can finish. Kai's expression hardens for a few moments before it dissolves, and then he looks away. "It all starts and ends with you."

 

Oh.

 

"It's always been you... _everything_ has been." Kai continues, his voice cracking. "No matter how much I try to forget about it, I just can't leave this behind."

 

"Kai..."

 

"I left this place and I left _you_!" Kai suddenly yells and it stuns Takao into silence. "I knew it would be impossible, so I tried to make you hate me by pushing you away. But at the same time, I wanted to fight you as a rival... as my equal."

 

Wordlessly, Takao looks on as the other blader points a finger in his direction, his eyes blazing with a mix of suppressed emotions. "By now you should've wanted nothing to do with me, so why are you still seeking me out?! Kinomiya-!!"

 

Both of them do not speak for a while, and the Dragoon owner continues to watch Kai as his breaths come out in short pants. Takao never hated Kai, never could - and by now he knows what to do. Eventually, Takao stands up to look at the other blader, his eyes narrowed with fierce determination and a forced smirk across his lips as he speaks again:

 

"Maybe you keep coming back because a part of you doesn't really want to leave."

 

Kai stills at the words and his hand drops back down to his side.

 

"And maybe, just _once_ ," Takao hisses as he takes a step closer, stopping to glare at the other blader facing him. "You don't have to run away, since I've felt the same way for probably as long as you have."

 

A look of shock spreads over Kai's face as he processes what he'd just heard. Impossible, he thinks, and he is about to turn around once again when he's stopped by a hand yanking on the end of his scarf. Somehow, they're both pressed up against each other and both of Takao's hands make their way up until they're tugging at the bunch of white fabric around Kai's neck.

 

"You can go, Kai," Takao leans up and whispers roughly into his ear, and Kai feels a shiver at the breath that ghosts across his jawline. "But just don't run away from me anymore."

 

Something snaps within Kai and before he knows it, they've both been shoved down onto the couch as a mess of tangled limbs, but none of that matters since they're tightly clinging on and there's lips and tongue and it feels hot and hard and desperate and - _oh_ , they don't want to stop. Not now, especially since it's taken them both so long.

 

Kai breaks the kiss and moves away, his face flushing crimson when he becomes aware of the way he is hovering over Takao, who's staring up at him with glazed eyes as he licks at the corner of his mouth. The stupid hat is gone, probably fallen on the floor somewhere, and there is a bright pink flush on his cheeks.

 

They're both idiots, Kai decides then, as he lets himself be pulled down into another kiss.

 

* * *

 

To Takao's surprise, it turns out that Kai doesn't end up leaving for as long as he thought he would. Nearly a year after they'd exchanged farewells, he is back at the entrance of the Kinomiya dojo.

 

He's considering staying so he can help with Hiwatari Enterprises - maybe even start a few more branches across Japan. He doesn't change addresses either, so Takao finds him easier this time.

 

"I've been in contact with Max and Rei." Kai says one day in the apartment. Takao is seated next to him, in the same spot where they'd argued before.

 

"They... were the ones who convinced me to come back."

 

To his surprise, Takao just lets out a laugh at that, before he reaches forward and wraps his arms around the other. Kai stiffens at the contact and almost gasps out in surprise, but lets the other blader cling onto him nonetheless.

 

"Just how long have you been feeling this way?"

 

Takao's voice is quiet; there is no trace of the irritating, boisterous personality he had when they first met. Instead, Kai realises then and there just how much time has passed - how long have they even _known_ each other, exactly? He never bothered to think about it.

 

Kai takes in a breath as he replies, just as quietly: "A while."

 

Takao chuckles, leaning further into their embrace as his arms tighten around the other. "Wow, that was _very_ specific." he says dryly, causing the other male to roll his eyes and look away.

 

"Too close," Kai grumbles, causing Takao to let out a laugh as he releases his grip on his boyfriend.

 

"I can't help it," Takao smirks as he clasps his hands over Kai's paler ones. "I've got all of you here to myself. Can't I show my appreciation?"

 

Kai lets out a scoff at that but does not move away. He could get used to this, maybe.

 

They don't speak for a few minutes; instead they look into each other's eyes as they think of all the words they still want to say but haven't said yet-

 

"Kinomiya," Kai speaks eventually, and Takao leans in to peck him on the cheek.

 

"Hmm?"

 

He wants to grumble at Kai for still addressing him by his surname, but then Takao then feels something slide into his back jeans pocket and blushes when he realises that it's Kai's hand. "H-hey! Do you know where you're touching-"

 

"Check your pocket," is all Kai says as he removes his hand, which prompts the other blader to dig his own hand in and feel around for... something made of metal?

 

Confusion turns into shocked surprise as Takao pulls out the key, and he holds it up to make sure that he isn't seeing things and that - no, Kai was definitely not running away from him anymore.

 

"It's yours," Kai tells him, and then suddenly Takao is all over him, pinning him down with kisses on as many parts of his face as he could find.

 

And in that moment, they'd both come to terms with what they were to each other - accepting that feeling for what it was - and then it would all come back full circle, just as Kai would always return in the end.


End file.
